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Ten reasons why Apple’s App Store terms are still not compliant with the DMA
Continue reading: Ten reasons why Apple’s App Store terms are still not compliant with the DMAApple had until 7 March 2024 to adopt the necessary measures to ensure that the terms and conditions it applies to app developers and app users within its mobile ecosystem comply with the app store-related provisions of the Digital Markets Act (“DMA”). These provisions essentially seek to stimulate competition in app distribution and content acquisition…
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A Dutch Merricks? Amsterdam Court of Appeal rules on fundamentals of class actions in TPC v Oracle and Salesforce
Continue reading: A Dutch Merricks? Amsterdam Court of Appeal rules on fundamentals of class actions in TPC v Oracle and SalesforceClass actions in which damages can be awarded on a collective basis are still a relatively new phenomenon in Europe, with the UK, Portuguese and Dutch opt-out collective action regimes seen as frontrunners. It has dawned on policymakers and lawyers alike that damages can be suffered across a broad and disparate group of victims, which…
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A Voice of Reason: European Publishers Council Submits Concrete Proposals to the EC for Strict Enforcement of DMA’s App Store Rules
Continue reading: A Voice of Reason: European Publishers Council Submits Concrete Proposals to the EC for Strict Enforcement of DMA’s App Store RulesYesterday, the European Publishers Council (“EPC”) published a press release, whereby they had submitted a comprehensive report to the European Commission (EC), (i) demonstrating why Apple and Google’s respective implementation of the app-store related provisions are in breach of the DMA and (ii) providing a way forward to ensure greater contestability and fairness in mobile…
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Vodafone/Three switcheroo: would the introduction of a different fourth player get the merger through?
Continue reading: Vodafone/Three switcheroo: would the introduction of a different fourth player get the merger through?If Vodafone and Three merge, it will be the first time that the UK telecoms market would have less than four network operators since Orange and One2One entered the market in the early 1990s. The CMA would nowadays be expected to block 4-to-3 mergers, especially where there is little chance of a new market entrant,…
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The UK’s digital markets regime is now law: 10 talking points
Continue reading: The UK’s digital markets regime is now law: 10 talking pointsThe Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (“DMCC”) Act is finally now law in the UK. The King signed his assent today (although his views on conflicts of interest in the ad tech stack are still unknown). The legislation was passed in the “wash-up” process on the final day of this Parliament and the country is…
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Vodafone/Three: a standalone decision or a potential reversal of spectrum policy?
Continue reading: Vodafone/Three: a standalone decision or a potential reversal of spectrum policy?Spectrum is all around us. These invisible waves are essential for devices that communicate wirelessly. Whether using a mobile phone to make a phone call, send a text message or browse the web, the device will use spectrum to connect to a local mast and carry out your connection command. Only a finite amount of…
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Interview with Joost Rietveld, UCL School of Management
Continue reading: Interview with Joost Rietveld, UCL School of ManagementPartners Damien Geradin and Stijn Huijts had the pleasure of sitting down with Joost Rietveld, an Associate Professor of Strategic Management at the UCL School of Management, University College London, to discuss his fascinating insights into platform competition and strategy. Joost has been a major contributor to the public debate in this area in the…
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Full steam ahead: The Commission announces DMA investigations three weeks after gatekeepers publish (non-)compliance reports
Continue reading: Full steam ahead: The Commission announces DMA investigations three weeks after gatekeepers publish (non-)compliance reportsOn 25 March 2024, the Commission announced that it had opened non-compliance investigations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) into three of the companies that have been designated as gatekeepers, namely Alphabet, Apple, and Meta. These investigations concern various issues, including rules on steering in app stores, choice screens for browsers, self-preferencing in general search,…
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Vodafone/Three: UK telecoms consolidation will be given a rough ride through the merger control process
Continue reading: Vodafone/Three: UK telecoms consolidation will be given a rough ride through the merger control processThe UK’s mobile sector is highly competitive. Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, has spent the last few decades carefully designing spectrum auctions and other measures to foster fierce competition among the four mobile network operators. I’m currently paying £10 ($12.70) per month for unlimited 5G data on the best network for coverage. When I was at…
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Interview with Martijn Snoep, Head of the Dutch competition authority
Continue reading: Interview with Martijn Snoep, Head of the Dutch competition authorityPartners Ruben Elkerbout and Stijn Huijts had the pleasure of catching up with Martijn Snoep, the head of the Dutch Competition Authority (ACM) recently. Mr Snoep moved to the ACM from law firm De Brauw in 2018. He has been at the forefront of many internationally renowned initiatives at the ACM, including an investigation into…